Just a day before his final day in office the United States President Donald Trump on Jan 18 issued an executive order lifting the ban on travel from Europe and Brazil even as there is a big surge in a new variant of Corona virus cases. The ban will continue on Iran and China.
However, within 90 minutes of the order the Joe Biden Team, which is going to take office on Jan 20, said that it is not going to happen adding that this is not the time for such a major decision as lifting of travel ban from 29 countries in the grip of pandemic.
The incoming White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki said that “with the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel”.
Perhaps never in the US history any President had issued such an important executive order on the dying days of his tenure.
Incidentally, the order has come even as the United States has been witnessing a large number of deaths due to COVID-19. So far more than four lakh people have already lost their lives in the last 11 months. On Jan 18, the day the order was passed 1,440 people perished. The figure peaked to 4,000 earlier this month. The months of December 2020 and January 2021 have seen a big jump in the deaths.
Ever since Jan 6 insurrection in Washington DC President Trump has been taking major decisions on foreign policy and issuing executive orders.
